Most & Least Diverse States in America

The American narrative is a story of diversity. Our history tells of many different peoples coming together from every walk of life to form what is today a complex tapestry of backgrounds.

And our story will continue to advance that narrative in the decades to come. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts that by 2044 the U.S. will no longer have a single ethnic majority, currently non-Hispanic whites, and will grow increasingly more diverse in the years to follow.

But U.S. diversity spans more than just racial lines. In many states, the population reflects a mix of not just races and ethnicities but also cultures, religions, economic statuses, educational backgrounds and other characteristics. These groups come together in everyday life, influencing and experiencing one another. However, some elements of society aren’t as diverse as others. For example, there are only 33 women among the CEOs of fortune 500 companies, and around 66% of those companies’ board members are white.

Some U.S. states promote diversity more than others. In order to determine where idea and identity exchanges have occurred at the highest level — and where the population is relatively more homogeneous — WalletHub compared the 50 states across six key diversity categories. For a more local perspective on America’s ever-expanding diversity, we also conducted our analysis at the city level. Read on for our findings, expert commentary from a panel of researchers and a full description of our methodology.

Ask the Experts

Diversity can have profound effects on communities. For insight on such outcomes and advice on achieving social integration, we asked a panel of experts to share their thoughts on the following key questions:

What are the pros and cons of living in a diverse state?

What impact does diversity have on social innovation and social cohesion? What about violence and social unrest?

What can policymakers do to encourage integration across neighborhoods?

How can states take advantage of their diversity in order to increase economic growth?

Methodology

In order to determine the most and least diverse states in America, WalletHub compared the 50 states across six key dimensions: 1) Socio-economic Diversity, 2) Cultural Diversity, 3) Economic Diversity, 4) Household Diversity, 5) Religious Diversity and 6) Political Diversity.

We evaluated those dimensions using 14 relevant metrics, which are listed below with their corresponding weights and subcomponents. Each metric was graded on a 100-point scale.

Finally, we determined each state’s weighted average across all metrics to calculate its overall score and used the resulting scores to rank-order the states. A total score of 100 represents the most diverse state.

We conducted our analysis using the Herfindahl-Hirschman Index method, which is a commonly accepted measure of market concentration that also works effectively as a general-purpose measure of diversity (e.g., race/ethnicity, occupations, languages, nationalities).

Socioeconomic Diversity - Total Points: 20

Household-Income Diversity: Weight - Double Weight (~13.33 Points)

$34,999 or Less

$35,000 - $49,999

$50,000 - $74,999

$75,000 - $99,999

$100,000 - $149,999

$150,000 or more

Educational-Attainment Diversity: Weight - Full Weight (~6.67 Points)

No High School Diploma

High School Diploma and Perhaps Some College or an Associate’s Degree

Bachelor’s Degree

Graduate or Professional Degree

Cultural Diversity - Total Points: 20

Racial & Ethnic Diversity: Weight - Triple Weight (~10.00 Points)

Hispanic or Latino

White (not Hispanic or Latino)

Black or African American (not Hispanic or Latino)

Asian (not Hispanic or Latino)

Other (American Indian and Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander, some other race alone, two or more races and not Hispanic or Latino)

Self-Employed Workers (operating their own, unincorporated businesses)Note: Includes “people who worked for profit or fees in their own unincorporated business, professional practice, or trade or who operated a farm,” according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources: Data used to create this ranking were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau, ARDA and AVA.

Image: Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com

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